The Key to Survival
by honeyandvodka
Summary: Castle said he wanted to be prepared. Who was Beckett to stand in his way? A 7x03 post-ep.


**A/N: There are a few beautiful, lovely, sexy post eps for 7x03 out there. This one went in a different direction. I thank you for reading it. And thank you to Kylie for the speed-beta! Mistakes are all mine.**

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><p><strong>February 2014 <strong>

Even the page turner she was engrossed in wasn't enough to block out the rattling and banging that was increasing in volume outside the apartment, and Beckett glanced down at her wristwatch, trying to make sense of the racket. Even with the delayed flight, and in spite of the traffic from the airport, he shouldn't have been this late back, but if the noise was anything to go by, he was here at last.

An audible _oof!_ preceded the next clang. A scratching sound at the door was followed by the soft click of the key threading into the lock, and Kate brought her hand up to her mouth, ready to smother the laugher that was threatening to spill out.

The door was thrown open, and sure enough, Richard Castle stood in his doorway. A messenger-style bag was flung across his body, knocking against the suitcase in his left hand, his right laden down by several large bags. A tote was wrapped around the handle of the roller case, and his grasp on it looked tenuous at best.

"Beckett! Kate! I'm home!"

"I see that," she managed, a snicker breaking free, and he glared at her from where he still stood on the threshold.

"You could offer to _help_ me." The petulant whine was an invitation to roll her eyes. She stood anyway, her movements deliberate - and slow - as she reached for her bookmark, sliding it between the pages and putting the novel onto the coffee table before making her way across the open living space to help him with the overwhelming number of bags.

"Castle, what _is_ all this?" she asked as she lugged several of the shopping bags across the room and into the kitchen, dumping them on the counter and standing back to inspect the stack.

"Oh. Supplies." The response was cagey and she narrowed her eyes as she stepped toward him, her forefinger extended, aiming for the center of his chest.

"Supplies?" She had a sinking feeling about this. A sense of impending doom was lurking, the weight of it enough to force her to close her eyes, because _no_, surely she couldn't be right.

She knew she was right though.

Much as she wanted to deny it - even if she was a little fuzzy on the details of their contents - the _REI Camping_ bags made sense. But two heavy bags bearing the _Williams Sonoma_ logo? What the hell?

What on earth could they sell that would in any way be of assistance during - she shuddered as she thought about the reality she was being faced with - this peculiar situation.

"Beckett?"

She blinked, trying to refocus. Castle stood before her, a triumphant grin stretched wide across his face as he gestured to the prize pool gathered in front of them.

"Don't you want to know what's in the bag? And what everything is used for? Seriously, Beckett, I learned so much this weekend. Next time you _have _to come with me, you'd love it. We'd have the best time, and some activities are team based, you know. We'd kick everyone else's butt."

He paused, as though expecting an answer, and she gritted her teeth as she asked. "Next time?"

He beamed. "Uh-huh. It's an annual event!"

**Two weeks earlier**

"And it's in Canada!" The child-like glee was all too apparent on Castle's face, and Kate blinked, trying to make sense of the whole thing.

"You're going to Canada? For this? They don't do it… a little closer to home?"

He waved his hand, dismissing the idea. "Sure they do, but if I'm going to do this I might as well go somewhere a little more exciting than New Jersey."

"Canada." She repeated the word again, huffing in indignation. It was _February_, for crying out loud. He wanted to go to Canada in February _why_, exactly? At least a weekend at home would mean snuggling up in front of the fire with a big glass of red. And if he was that insistent on getting out of town for the weekend, well, the Hamptons had a fireplace too. And an impressive wine cellar. And, frankly, a more comfortable bed than the one here.

"I can't believe you're wasting our weekend off with... _this_."

"When the zombie apocalypse happens you'll be _begging_ me to help you. Which, as your future husband, I will do. Happily. But as my future wife, I can only suggest that if you want to spend time together that badly… you come with me." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she shook her head as she considered-

No!

No, he wasn't going to trick her into this. She'd had enough of endurance training, and weekend fitness camps over the course of her career, not to mention the fact she was dedicated to visiting the gym at the precinct on a regular basis.

The last thing she needed was to have her weekend sucked away by attending… _zombie apocalypse survival camp_.

"Okay, go." She waved a hand in the air, trying to convey just how _fine_ she was with this. Because she was. Just because they were almost married didn't mean they shouldn't have their own interests, and, well, he probably wasn't into everything she was into.

Except he was, because a weekend sans Castle meant a weekend relaxing with Lanie, and Castle loved a good spa day as much as the next girl.

Damn it.

He really was into everything.

From gaming to zombies, from dissecting gory murders to writing her favorite books… he was the perfect-

No. She had to stop doing that. Stop getting so very sappy about every little thing that made her slip into a dreamlike trance. She needed to get out of her head, stop her internal monologue from waxing lyrical about her fiancé every other moment. Just because she had a dress now… she tugged her lip between her teeth in an attempt to disguise the smile that was threatening to spill across her face.

He turned from her, his face silhouetted as he pointed to the office. "And you can't be too careful," he continued, and she shrugged as she struggled to get a handle on what he was saying. "When I bought this loft I thought all the open plan living was a good thing, but now…" He trailed off as he twisted around to face her again and she schooled her features. Damn. Hiding that smile hadn't really worked. "So, it's important to be prepared," he finished, indignant now he thought she was making fun of him.

"No, I know," she said. "Preparation is important."

Mollified, he nodded, continuing. "Okay, well they teach you contingency plans, and emergency signals, and…"

She was marrying a nerd, but as she watched him - his face lit up with excitement, his hands gesturing as he told her more and more about the camp - she couldn't refute the fact that he did make nerdy sexy.

**February 2014**

"Okay, the camping stuff I get," Beckett admitted as she thumbed through the catalog. "I still can't believe you got the cab driver to take you to all these stores instead of coming back home and getting it all tomorrow."

"You know what I learned at the camp, though?" Castle's eyes darkened as he lowered his voice, gritting out his next sentence. "As many as ninety percent of the camp participants come home and don't even put their zombie apocalypse survival plans into action."

"Oh." She pressed her lips together to try and maintain the semblance of a straight face. "I see."

"Yeah." He nodded, pointing at everything. "That wasn't going to be me. Now, unless we get a really _good_ body drop I won't be in at the precinct tomorrow because I have to be honest, the pantry is _not_ as stocked as we need it to be - you know, dry goods, things like that, not just these camping meals - and I need to consider the house at the Hamptons too." He surveyed his purchases with a critical expression. "This is a good start."

"Sure." Beckett cleared her throat. He'd had a good time, that was the main thing. She and Lanie had enjoyed their pedicures, and Castle had thoroughly loved camp. What did it matter if he was taking it all a little seriously? At least they weren't turning into one of those couples who had to do everything together. Although hell, if it was that much fun, maybe she would go next year.

She grinned at Castle as he pawed through the packages of dehydrated food.

"So, babe, care to explain why you bought up half the pots, pans and utensils in Williams Sonoma?"


End file.
